2005 MARCH
				We set off very promptly on the first of March this year despite the snowy conditions. Alan had hopefully cured the oil leak from the engine and I had a new green cratch cover made and fitted which is much better than the old cheap one put on by the boat builders. We turned off the Trent & Mersey Canal saying goodbye to it for the very last time - and went down the Coventry Canal to Hawkesbury Junction and onto the Oxford to Braunston. We did this same journey 3 years ago but this time at Braunston, turned west up the Grand Union to Birmingham, completing the Warwickshire ring. We then proceeded to do all the Birmingham back waters where a lot of boaters will not go. We actually did a ring with 36 locks and 6 miles in 6 hours (stopping for lunch) one day. We ended up going up the Farmers Flight "under" Birmingham. At one lock under a building and a bridge I was trying to work out how to get off the boat to assist Alan and did not realise that as the water level came up, the exhaust stack was now getting squashed under the bridge. Fortunately a good yank bought it down but the end came off and disapeared into the depths. Until we could get a new "flappity flappity" as Alan calls it, we had to put an empty tomato can over the stack to stop any rain coming in when we stop. Unfortunately we both kept forgetting to remove it before starting the enginge and it got blown into the water! By doing all these back waters, we often went up an "arm" being a dead end, turning round and coming back. On one such arm of the Dudley No 2 Canal to Halesowen and back, we had to go through Gosty Hill Tunnell. Before we could even get into the tunnel we had to remove large tree branches from the entrance and a short way in we almost came to a standstill. Alan went up front and discovered we were pushing a large load of rubbish in front which we ended up pushing all the way through. The tunnel also had a low roof so progress was slow. When we came back the entrance was, of course, clear but when we came out the other end again we had pushed a huge pile of rubbish including loads of long sections of wood. On the same canal we had stones thrown at us by the local yobs who also threw stones at the British Waterways Security Guard in his hut and cast their work boats adrift. We had to give the police a statement. However that was the only instance. We enjoyed staying in Birmingham outside the NIA with no problems even though we were there at Easter.
					WE ALMOST GOT STUCK UNDER A BRIDGE
						WE HAD STONES THROWN AT THE BOAT